Loneliness Links Adverse Childhood Experiences to Mortality Risk Across 26 Years.

IF 4.8 2区医学 Q1 GERIATRICS & GERONTOLOGY

Journals of Gerontology Series B-Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences Pub Date : 2025-05-08 DOI:10.1093/geronb/gbaf016

Aisling Curtis, Emma M Kirwan, Martina Luchetti, Ann-Marie Creaven, Nicholas Turiano, Máire McGeehan, Eileen K Graham, Páraic S O'Súilleabháin

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Objectives: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are associated with increased mortality risk. Individuals with a history of certain adversity during childhood tend to report higher levels of loneliness in later life. In our preregistered study, we examined whether loneliness mediates the ACEs to mortality risk relation.

Methods: Participants were from the Midlife in the United States Survey (N = 4,963; M [SD] = 46.44 [12.52] years, 53.3% female). Follow-up period spanned 26 years. A comprehensive measure of ACEs was employed consisting of 20 ACEs from 5 categories: physical abuse, emotional abuse, socioeconomic disadvantage, adverse family structure, and poor health at age 16 years.

Results: ACE was a significant predictor of mortality risk. Loneliness mediated the ACEs-mortality risk relation. In other words, loneliness in adulthood accounted for the relation between ACEs and future death. These effects withstood a range of sensitivity checks and adjustments for important factors, such as social isolation.

Discussion: Loneliness appears to be a central mechanism in the long-term impact of ACEs on longevity, such that, for adversity during childhood, loneliness experienced during adulthood may be a toxic pathway to future death.

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孤独将童年不良经历与26年的死亡风险联系起来。

目的：不良童年经历（ace）与死亡风险增加有关。在童年时期经历过某种逆境的人，在以后的生活中往往会有更高的孤独感。在我们的预登记研究中，我们检验了孤独是否介导ace与死亡风险的关系。方法：参与者来自美国中年调查(N = 4963；M [SD] 46.44[12.52]岁，女性53.3%)。随访期长达26年。对16岁时身体虐待、情感虐待、社会经济劣势、不良家庭结构和健康状况不佳等5个类别的20个ace进行了综合测量。结果：ace是死亡风险的重要预测因子。孤独感介导了ace与死亡风险的关系。换句话说，成年期的孤独感可以解释ace与未来死亡之间的关系。这些影响经受住了一系列敏感性检查和对重要因素（如社会孤立）的调整。讨论：孤独似乎是ace对寿命的长期影响的核心机制，因此，对于童年时期的逆境，成年期经历的孤独可能是通往未来死亡的有毒途径。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Journals of Gerontology Series B-Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences 医学-老年医学

CiteScore

11.60

自引率

8.10%

发文量

178

审稿时长

6-12 weeks

期刊介绍： The Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences publishes articles on development in adulthood and old age that advance the psychological science of aging processes and outcomes. Articles have clear implications for theoretical or methodological innovation in the psychology of aging or contribute significantly to the empirical understanding of psychological processes and aging. Areas of interest include, but are not limited to, attitudes, clinical applications, cognition, education, emotion, health, human factors, interpersonal relations, neuropsychology, perception, personality, physiological psychology, social psychology, and sensation.